Top Dog Why Americans love Labrador retrievers.

Slate ^ | July 14, 2005 | Brendan I. Koerner

[colorcountry]

Yeah, the french turned them into clowns...that's to be expected, THEY are clowns.

A standard poodle can be a great field dog, companion dog, retriever, but back in the 50's they were subject to the same mass breeding and popularity of todays labs. It was almost the end of one of the most intelligent and active dogs in the world.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Trust me, this ain't thyroids. This dog should be 50 lbs. He looks like a pressure vessel - all the skin is stretched to the max. He was only 5 when I met him and acted like a 10yo. They spoil him rotten, let him do almost everything he wants. That includes constantly throwing him fatty human foods. He controls them.

And no, being owned by your dog is NOT a good thing. For either party!

[Goodgirlinred]

I had a Lab/Golden Retriever who was my best friend and who cared for me through my husband's death. That dog stayed by my side when I slept nearly around the clock after my husband died. He refused to leave me for food, water, or to go outside. Skippy was the very best dog I have ever known.

Now I have a Malamute/Husky/Lab cross. His dad was a Malamute/Husky cross and his mom is a Chocolate Lab. Harm is not as quiet and well behaved as Skippy was. As a matter of fact, Skippy was only 6 months old when I adopted him from the shelter, and he never damaged anything.
Harm, on the other hand, was the most destructive dog I have ever known. He ate an entire couch, pulled the carpet off of the stairs, and ruined my great room furniture by eating big hunks out of each piece. He ruined the carpet, too.

However, once I learned that Harm needed to run, and run a lot, he calmed down. Also, age probably helped as he stopped being so destructive at age 2 or thereabouts.

Skippy was more Golden Retriever than Lab. He looked like a Golden and his personality was that of a Golden.

My brother has had two thoroughbred labs and a lab mix. They have all been great dogs. However, Skippy was better than all of them.

Maybe Labs are ahead of Goldens because Labs have short hair. I would take a Golden anytime, but don't tell Harm I said that.

[MJemison]

She then very deliberately placed her full body in front of her beloved master.

Our older Lab did the same thing when a raccoon got into our mud room; she positioned herself in front of the inner door. Our startled younger Lab ran outside but was so scared she couldn't even bark. Just a "oooooffff!!". And does anyone know why these dogs insist on standing on my feet? Especially when I'm wearing clean white sneakers?

[yarddog]

I understand what you are saying and agree that dogs are bred for particular assets. I also know there is a big difference in breeders.

I have personally always liked mutts. Of course you don't always know what you will get with one. They do tend to be tougher and better suited to my purpose which is simply be a yard dog or pet.

Here are some of my dog's illegitimate brood. I kept the black one on the left. The cutest one of all is not in the picture.

[fatnotlazy]

He ate an entire couch,...

***

Good grief, woman, feed that dog! :)

[mtngrl@vrwc]

"What he has been taught did not take a long time to teach. I wish my children would listen as well as he does."

I think our lab listens to every word we say and understands almost all of it. When it's time to go to bed we say "kennel" and she runs and gets into her kennel. The other night I said to my husband that it was time to go to bed and she ran to her kennel. Once when she heard the sound that my laptop makes when it's turned off, she went to her kennel. Lol!

[Thebaddog]

I'll keep the dignified mental image with me and I know what you mean. Bobby was a total chick magnet when he wanted to strike a pose. Joey was a field dog and he could sniff a tennis ball out of a bush that wasn't visible to the naked eye. He retrieved all day long.

[Malesherbes]

All dogs go to Heaven.

[Goodgirlinred]

ah, that is such a sweetie. My Harm loves to play with toys. Alas, I live in Virginia. Also, I have 9 grandchildren. I guess he wouldn't be the right dog for me. I have Harm (nearly 4 year old Malamute/Husky/Lab) and Teddy (elderly 17 year old Sheltie). This dog would be a great companion for Harm.

I hope someone adopts him soon. They are not going to euthanize him, are they?

[Thebaddog]

Heck no. That mope went off trying not to believe his lying eyes. Labs use their chest as a battering ram first and teeth second. That mangy pit bull was paws up fast and sucking lab slobber off his face all the way home.

[the OlLine Rebel]

"More than one idiot has thought that my purebred Lab was a PBT with uncut ears."


You are kidding me.

Just more proof positive that we can't trust what any media or "authority" says some dog is.

Next their geniuses will be telling us a Maine Coon cat is a Bearded Collie dog.

[Redcloak]

I agree. Lab mixes are some of the best dogs around; especially if you have kids or other animals. We have a Lab/Springer mix and a Lab/Basenji mix. (We think that the "Basenjador" was someone's attempt at breeding a barkless Lab. They got a barking Basenji instead. :)

[Thebaddog]

We got a cockapoodle after them for the kids and it isn't the same. Max is a good dog, but not the boys, I'm sad to say. I better stay away from the breeder ads this weekend.

[AnAmericanMother]

OMG! It looks like your girls are Trouble Central. (In that first picture it looks like the GSP is taking the "Who, me?" approach, while the Lab has more of a "Yeah, so whatchya gonna do about it?" attitude.)

The lipstick one is a classic. I get the feeling that the GSP is the ringleader in a lot of the trouble. Am I right?

Memo to self: do NOT let the GSP we meet on the beach come home with us!

[RepoGirl]

I know! The only time I've ever seen Ursa really live up to the Rottweiler stereotype was when a full grown black bear came up to our back porch and sniff around our bar b que smoker.

Suddenly, she channelled all five dogs from The Omen, and scared the bear off (of course, she was behind a pane of SafeT glass when she did so...).

My husband's boss came over the other day, it was embarrassing. Ursa was just this goofy, wimpering puddle of "no one shows me any love, will you be my new best friend?" with him. I've seen terriers with more cojones.

And don't get me started on the time I saw her grandfather, a big old beast of 150 lbs, whimper and cower when a litter of puppies came toward him. Yeesh...

[Experiment 6-2-6]

It's Santa's Little Helper!

Simpsons Ping

[mtngrl@vrwc]

"My wardrobe is color coordinated to camouflage yellow lab hair. It's a Priority."

Yeah, I'd love to be able to wear black - it makes one look thinner. No can do though. Priorities. ;-)

[Redcloak]

That's not a dog. That's a Wookie!

[colorcountry]

Thanks for the post. I bookmarked the link, and am looking forward to some great reading.

I had a Standard on my ranch when I was a teenager. She was a fantastic companion dog and hearder. I also recognized hunting instincts. When my husband's two English Pointers passed on and it was time for another dog I recommended a standard. Of course hubby was hesitant. What self-respecting man would be caught dead in the company of a poodle. Now they are absolutly inseperable. Hubby can't believe how smart and trainable he his. He understands over 100 voice commands and about 20 hand commands.

The English Pointers were very prey driven...they would do anything for the hunt, but boy, were they stupid. We loved them nevertheless.